Update on Invisible

After going on a writing marathon over the weekend (on Saturday night, I clocked in at a NaNoWriMo-esque 5,208 words), I am about 94% complete with this novel project. If I keep at my pace of about 2,000 words a day, I should finish Part 4 by the end of the month and the epilogue can be done in less than three days. Ah yes, the end is in sight. Early March is the time and place. Mark your calendars, kids!

Okay, I wasn't gonna say anything about this, but now I'm gonna!

VH1 recently released a revision of the 100 Greatest Women in Rock 'n Roll (now just Music, probably better since all the ladies were in different genres) and as Flavorwire pointed out, they made some odd choices. Not to say these particular ladies of music didn't earn their time in the sun, they worked hard and sold many records, heaven knows. Not bringing one down to celebrate another. That's not how we roll here.

I understand that the new list is a reflection of new trends and a crop of new, very talented people that are now staking their own claims in this tough and misogynistic world of music. But y'all, they threw a TON of the previous list under the bus. Where the f*** is Stevie Nicks? Etta James? Aretha Franklin is not there anymore! Not even Sheila E.! (My "I wanna break everything" moment was Tina Weymouth.) Maybe it makes sense that they changed the name of the list, so the two lists could exist together? Okay, so you wanna get specific? The 1999 list reflects that. Wanna get more broad? The 2011 list reflects that. I guess.

I got curious and counted both lists to see how many women of color were represented. The 1999 list had over 35 women, the new list only 27 (I may have missed some people, so please correct me if I'm wrong). While the 1999 list could've included more, it did somewhat a better job in the genre department. The Supremes over in Motown pop, Tracy Chapman in folk , Aretha Franklin with her gospel/rock blend, and Gloria Estefan with her take on Latin pop. The new list has some variation, but it has more pop than R&B or even folk.

So maybe the new list should be 100 Greatest Women in Pop, since damn, most of them could fit there. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not an excellent representation of genres. I guess you could argue that for the 1999 list, but you don't have to strain to find more than just a variation of pop.

Kathy from Her Five Dollar Radio also put together another problem with the list (and maybe the problem with the previous list too). God forbid that VH1 acknowledges any woman's contribution to the band she's in, let along she kicks ass at her instrument of choice. And as for the last paragraph of Kathy's excellent take-away from the list, it is amazing that people (not the writer, of course) still think that women have to be invited into the rock world, let alone bust in, do their thing, and let the guys just kindly deal with it; which a lot of the women from both lists have done. They had to break the rules in order to become who they are. And yet, there are so many limitations these musicians have to battle.

No, we haven't come a long way. We have a long way to go.

Hey, I'm still here!

Sorry for nothing after the last entry. I've been busy doing nothing, as usual, but I finally began working on Invisible again. Damn, took me way too long to begin working on it again. I noticed, as I was writing, that I was cringing what I was writing. Where are the details? Man, I can't paint a good picture of pure chaos. So, that what was truly holding me back. I was afraid of not doing it right the first time. Ahhh, but you never will get it right the first time. But the next time you will. Sounds like Billy Joel lyrics. (Yes, I was thinking of "Get It Right the First Time" from The Stranger.)

Either way, on that and doing some stuff to prepare for a most difficult job search, that will include possibly moving away in the next few months. We'll have to see.

On a lighter note, here is my (so far) favorite song of 2012:

Time to break the quiet 'round here

Sorry for being gone so long, January was an odd month for me. Coupled with the fact that my application was rejected from Michener, I'm on the search for a job. My hope is that it's a full-time job up north so I have a good excuse to move this year. Atop that, I've been waking up too early the last two mornings and paying for it (doesn't help that I have work those two days also).

A few quick things. I hate to do this, but since plans have changed very much for me this year, I will be unable to do the following: The Year of Revisits and ScriptFrenzy. For the former, I still plan on reviewing A House Like A Lotus in tribute of its rerelease this year. I may even read and review a few other of my all-time favorites, but not going to dedicate each month to one. As for the latter, I'm just not feeling it. I rather do NaNoWriMo again, which may happen again this year, but we'll have to see.

I may give the grad school application business another try later this year, but this time, send in a story I'll be very proud of. And if I do that, I may have to pass on NaNoWriMo then. But again, we'll have to see how things go.

*looks back at old blog entries* I was gonna review Casual Gods? Damn, need to get on that.

Well, you get the idea.

Got news back from Michener...

and I was denied. To be honest, I wish I was completely shocked and throwing a "why me" epic tantrum, but it's just not in me. It's really a case of "oh hai maturity" and also that getting in was very unlikely (message boards equated it with winning the lottery. Not a bad analogy, actually). Not because I suck at writing or anything, I mean, I'm a great writer. Maybe it's a case of "not just yet" or in all honesty, going there would've been a bad idea. Who knows?

So will you apply for grad school ever again? Oh yeah, I still will love to go, but it may now have to wait. In all honesty, I need to get a full-time job and move out first. That was partly the reason I wanted to go so bad. I wanted a huge damn excuse to get myself together and do something with my life. And I feel that was my biggest error in this whole thing. Ah, the old saying "putting all your eggs in one basket" applies here.

Will you apply for Michener again? To be honest, I don't know now. I feel, in a strange way, I might've applied there and hoped for admission to prove to myself that I'm a good writer. Sure, the money is great, but I really didn't know a ton about the program and its professors. I mean, it could be a decent school and going somewhere else would've been better, for all I f***ing know.

What now, Frustrated Lady Writer? Time to just write and find a full-time job that will take me further north from here. As for grad school, it may have to wait.

Thanks to those who wished me well and also helped me with my application. Time to dust myself off and move on to other things.

Long-Due Update

Hey peeps, this is your Frustrated Lady Writer here to give y'all an update in the friendly and readable format of bullet points.

• New Year has been a strange one so far. For one, I am going to lost my part-time health benefits from  my job in 2013. Probably by then I'll be working somewhere else and getting health insurance from grad school. *hope*
• Doing well on the reading challenges. Read the first two of the Wrinkle in Time quintet. That's about it so far.
• Getting on with my resolutions. Been exercising and eating better. 
• Will protest SOPA and PIPA by joining the blackout. Wanna do it too? Here is the link for more information.

As for the latter, my website will go dark in protest around 8 AM and will return 12 hours from then. Hopefully during this time everyone will contact their political representatives and join the Internet community in solidarity to protest SOPA and PIPA.

Even if you don't have a site, do your part and contact your representative(s). Because the louder the voices, the louder the NO, the more that these bills will die in Congress. 

Happy New Year!

It's a bit early, but Happy New Year to all my friendly readers and peeps! May 2012 be awesome for us all, full of good times and not the end times.

There are big things planned for this little blog, reviews and reading challenges and of course... graduate school (I hope).

Have some Pink Martini to ring in the year:



Good fortune to you all and have a happy 2012!